Venetian blinds having a headrail and blind slats extending horizontally across a window space are well known. It is well understood that the width of the headrail and the blinds must be suited to more or less match to the width of the window space.
For many years it has been the practice to manufacture venetian blinds on a custom basis. Each blind would be made with the width of the headrail, and the blade width corresponding to the width of a particular window for a particular customer.
This procedure is however relatively expensive. A salesperson is required to attend the customer""s house, in most cases, and take a series of measurements. An order is then placed at the factory, and some weeks later the finished blinds are delivered to the customer. Clearly it would be desirable to manufacture a range of venetian blinds, which could be arranged to fit window spaces having a range of widths. However given the limitation of the design, this is simply not possible. In order to partly answer the problems of cost, and delay, of custom made venetian blinds, it would be desirable to manufacture venetian blinds in a range of stock widths, and in a limited range of colors, and stocking these blinds in retail outlets. A customer wishing to purchase a blind or blinds from such an outlet would simply come in with the measurements of the windows of the customer""s house. The customer would select those blinds which were as close to the measurements as possible, or only slightly wider.
The retail store would then trim the ends of the blind to the width desired by the customer. The system would mean that the blinds could be manufactured in larger production runs, thus reducing the cost. It would also mean that customers could purchase blinds and take them away from the store almost on a same day basis. There are however certain problems with this procedure.
In particular the design of venetian blinds requires at least two and in some cases more, raise cords, and tilt cords. These cords are arranged at equal distances from each side of the blind. Consequently, trimming the blind to width required trimming each side, by an amount equal to one half of the desired total trim amount, so as to ensure the blind had a satisfactory symmetrical appearance. However, the blind consists of three main different components namely, a headrail, usually of U-shaped metal channel, a bottom rail and set of blind slats, the number depending on the height of the window opening.
In the vast majority of cases the blind slats were formed with a curved cross-section, and the ends of the blind slats were usually cut with a slight bevel or radius, so as to avoid sharp corners at each end of each blind slat.
End trimming operations could not be carried out by simple hand tools. Specialized dies were required for cutting each separate shape, i.e. for cutting the headrail and for cutting the bottom rail and for cutting the slat ends which were of arcuate cross-section with bevelled corners.
Specialized dies and tools have been provided for the purpose, but, it was necessary for each retail store to be carefully trained so as to carry out the three separate cutting operations in a way which produced a blind which was symmetrical down each side.
One minor improvement on the situation was that certain manufacturers provided a cutting die for cutting both the headrail and the bottom rail simultaneously. In this system it was only necessary to provide a separate cut for the blade ends.
Even in this system however, there were possibilities for mistakes, and the operator required considerable skill. The cutting operation was also time consuming.
For all of these reasons, it is clearly desirable to provide an end cutting apparatus for cutting the sides of venetian blinds, in which all three components namely, the headrail, the bottom rail and the blind slats are all cut in a single apparatus. In this way the time required in the retail store for the end cutting operation is reduced. In addition, the skill required is reduced since all three components are in a single plane.
One of the advantageous features in such an apparatus would be the inclusion of an end stop which provided a fixed location, which acted as a stop for all three blind components, once they had been inserted in the appropriate cutting recesses, and in which the end stop would move away from the trimmed off portions of the blinds once the trimming or cutting operation had been completed.
Certain venetian blinds are available having blind slats, and a bottom rail made of material which is wider, in some cases two inches wide. While the headrail, and the blind slats in this type of blind are still made of metal, the bottom rail is frequently made of non-metallic material. This is usually a solid, flat bar which may be for example be formed by extruding thermoplastic materials, or may even be made of wood in some cases, although this is not usual.
In certain types of blinds, it has become the practice to use blind slats of thicker material, than is used in conventional venetian blinds. In these blinds, the thicker blind slat material is formed of extruded thermoplastic material having a thickness and profile which is intended to simulate older style wooden slat blinds. In addition, these blinds have a bottom rail which is also of thicker material.
The cutting of these blind slats presents a somewhat different problem, in that, because they are thicker, it is necessary for the blind slat cutting blade means to travel through a longer cutting path.
In order to accommodate this, it has been found desirable to provide a blind cut down apparatus in which the blind slat cutting means is operated separately from the headrail cutting means. In this way, it is possible to provide a much longer cutting stroke than is required to cut down the headrail itself.
Due to the nature of the thicker blind slat material in this type of blind, this does not create a problem of requiring extra manual force. Although the head rails in this type of blind are made of roll-formed metal channel in most cases, the cutting of such head rails is well within the capacity of the apparatus, since the headrail cutting die is required to move only a relatively short distance, ie. a distance equal of approximately the thickness of the sheet metal material.
On the other hand, the blind slat cutting means is required to move a through a much greater cutting path. This, however, is not a problem since the blind slat material in this type of blind is much softer, and does not require so much cutting force.
With a view to providing a more adaptable blind slat cutter machine, suitable for cutting a variety of different blinds, the invention provides an apparatus for trimming the width of blinds of the type having a plurality of components including a headrail, and a bottom rail, and a plurality of blind slats, each having a predetermined arcuate profile, and comprising support body means, said body means defining a headrail opening, and a bottom rail opening, and means defining blind slat opening means being aligned along a horizontal axis, respective said blind components being insertable into respective said openings; headrail die plate means located alongside said support body a headrail cutting recess in said die plate means for cutting said headrail; bottom rail and slat cutter means for cutting the bottom rail and said blind slats; guide means on said support body for movably supporting said die plate means, said guide means defining a predetermined movement axis, whereby said die plate can move relative to said headrail opening in said support body between two positions, a first position in which said support body opening and said die plate cutting recess are in alignment with one another, and a second position in which said cutting recess is out of alignment with said opening, first means for moving said bottom rail and blind slat cutter means to cut said bottom rail and said blind slats, and, second means for moving said die plate means, between said two die plate positions.
The invention further provides such a blind slat cutter apparatus wherein said headrail opening, and said bottom rail opening in said support body and said blind slat opening means, are aligned along a common axis, and wherein said headrail cutting recess, and said bottom rail cutting recess and said blind slat cutting means are also aligned along a common axis.
The invention further provides such a blind slat cutter apparatus wherein both said axes are coincident and are horizontal, whereby to facilitate insertion of respective said blind components in respective said openings and recesses and passages.
The invention further provides such a blind slat cutter apparatus wherein said die plate movement axis is substantially diagonal to said axes of said headrail and said bottom rail and blind slat openings and respective said recesses.
The invention further provides such a blind slat cutter apparatus wherein said bottom rail and said blind slat cutter means are slidably mounted on said support body, and being movable relative to said bottom rail opening and to said blind slat opening means, whereby to cut said blind slats, upon movement of said bottom rail and said cutting means.
The invention further provides such a blind slat cutter apparatus including blind slat support means defining a predetermined arcuate profile, and mounted on said support body and wherein said blind slat cutter means has blade means defining a corresponding predetermined profile, whereby said blind slats are trimmed in accordance with said predetermined profile.
The invention further provides such a blind slat cutter apparatus including partition means in said blind slat opening means for separating said blind slats into groups whereby said groups of blind slats are cut in sequence, upon movement of said blind slat cutter means.
The invention further provides such a blind slat cutter apparatus wherein said means for moving said die plate means comprises a manually operable lever means, mounted in said support body, and transmission means connecting said lever means with said die plate means for transmitting movement of said manual lever means thereto and including a blind slat cutter rod connected to said manual lever means and operable to cause movement of said blind slat cutter means.
The invention further provides such a blind slat cutter apparatus including end stop means adjacent said die plate means, for engaging the free ends of said blind components, whereby to define a predetermined length of cut in respect thereof, linkage plate means connected to said end stop means and movement pin means connected to said linkage plate and responsive to movement of said blind slat cutter means, whereby to move said end stop means free of said die plate means and free of said bottom rail and blind slat cutter means for clearing of trim portions of said blind.
The invention further provides such a blind slat cutter apparatus wherein said blind slat opening means is located between said headrail opening and said bottom rail opening in said support body whereby to facilitate insertion of said blind components into said support body and said die plate means.
The invention also provides that the blind slat and bottom rail cutter means shall comprise a moveable cutter blade support, and a plurality of cutter blades carried by said cutter blade support, and wherein second movement means is coupled to said cutter blade support, and is operable to move such cutter blade support along a predetermined cutting travel path.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with more particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.